Weather in the Strait of Magellan, by month

A month by month picture

The table below is general climatology for the region: typical daytime and overnight temperatures, how strong the wind usually is, and how much rain the month usually brings. These are typical patterns, not measurements taken on this site and not a forecast. For the weather on the day you travel, check the Dirección Meteorológica de Chile.

Typical climatology, not measured on this site. The day-to-day forecast is the Dirección Meteorológica de Chile's, not this table's.

The wet side and the dry side

The Strait is 611 km long and about 3.1 km wide at its narrowest, and that is enough for the two sides to behave differently. The Atlantic side, to the east, takes the heavier rainfall; the Pacific side, to the west, is drier and the skies over the Chilean channels are clearer. It is one of the reasons a trip along the whole water feels like two different trips in a week.

The other half of the story is the light. At roughly 53°S the sun sets late and rises early in the summer: near 21:00 in December, near 17:00 in June. In the middle of the winter you get about eight hours of daylight, which is short enough to plan around and long enough to walk in.

The travel window

October to April is the workable season, and December to February is the long, light one. The southern westerlies strengthen through the spring, and the windiest stretch of the year is generally the spring and the early summer, which surprises people who expect the middle of summer to be the roughest time.

The practical consequence is that everything on the water is weather-dependent. A boat tour that runs in October may not run the same route it runs in January. If a specific trip is the point of your trip, book it before you book the flights.

When to go, by trip

Penguins and the boat navigations.December to February, for the longest light and the most settled conditions on the water. If you are flexible, the shoulder season is quieter and the light is lower, and the trips still run.

Trekking in Torres del Paine. The same window, with March and April the best compromise: fewer people, autumn colour, and still long enough days to walk the circuit. Winter is not closed, but the services inside the park run on a shorter schedule, so the refugios and the transfers need checking before you commit.

Cape Horn and longer expeditions.These are the trips where the operator, not the calendar, makes the decision, because the route is set by the conditions on the day. If your priority is the light and the calmest water, aim at the middle of the summer; if you are flexible, the shoulder seasons are where the wind does most of the deciding.

And none of this is a promise about a date. Nobody can tell you what the weather will be on a particular afternoon months ahead, and anyone who does is guessing. The monthly table tells you what to plan for; the forecast tells you what to wear on the day.